Side closure for automobiles



April 7, 1925.

J. BLACKBURN SIDE CLOSURE FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheis-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6

April 7 1925 J. BLACKBURN .SIDE CLOSURE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Feb. 6. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,532,869 PATENT omen.

JASPER BLACKBURN, on sr. ouis, MISSOURI.

SIDE CLOSURE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed February 6, 1922. Serial No. 534,373.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JASPER BLnOKBURiI, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missour-i, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Side Closures for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in side closures for automobiles, and has for its primary object a plurality of folding side curtains, some of which are hingedly connected to the doors and folded therein, the others being adapted to be removably inserted between the folding curtains carried by the doors, and when not in use, to to be placed within the doors.

A further object is to construct aside closure for automobiles, which consists of a plurality of side curtains mounted on hinged frames, some of the curtains adapted to fold directly into the doors, and others to be folded and placed Within the doors.

A still further object is to construct a side closure for automobiles which can be used in connection with the ordinary touring top and in which the side curtains are mounted on folding frames giving them rigidity and in which either celluloid or glass can be used to admit light.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of an automobile equipped with my device.

Fig. 2 a vertical section of one of the doors, showing the manner of folding and storing the curtains therein.

Fig. 3 a rear view of the same, with the cover removed, and showing a portion of the door opening mechanism.

Fig. 4 a fragmental cross section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 an enlarged fragmental section of one of the joints of the curtain frame,

Fig. 6 a horizontal section of one of the intermediate curtains.

Fig. 7 an enlarged view of the hinge and locking mechanism made use of for supporting the door curtain.

In the construction of my device I employ an automobile 8 which is equipped with the usual top 9 and windshield 10. The automobile is equipped with doors 11. These doors consisting of a face 12, a bottom 13, and end walls 14 and 15. Hing'edly connected to the bottom 13 is a cover 16, and hingedly connected to the front or face 12 is a top wall or lid 17. Formed integral with the door as ears 18, between which are pivotally secured bars 19. The cars 18 are provided with a bore 20 in which a pin 21 carried by the spring 22 passes. This pin extends a short distance into each of the bars 19 and is for the purpose of holding them either in the position shown by solid lines or dotted lines in Fig. 2. The spring 22 is provided with a knob 23, so that'the pin can be withdrawn from the bars 19 for raising orv lowering the same. Pivotally secured to the bars 19 are bars 24; extend ing between the bars 19 and bars 24 are cross bars 25, around which the curtains 26 and 27.'are secured. These bars not only serve to secure the curtains, but add to the stability of the frames, making them more rigid. The bars 24 and 19 are provided with cars 28, which ears are provided with a perforation 29, through which a piny30 can be inserted for holding the bars in extended position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The ears 28 are pivotally con nected together by means of a rivet 31.

' It will be noted from Figs. 4 and 5, that the curtain 26 is provided with a depending portion 82, which is for the purpose of covering the space-left by the hin-ging of the two bars, so as to. prevent the admission of cold air. The curtain 27 is likewise provided with a depending portion 33, which is designed to overlap the lid 17 and prevent the admission of moisture or water into the door. On either side of the doors and in the body of the machine are placed sockets 34 which receive the ends 35 of the bars 36. To the bars 36 are hingedly connected bars 37. These bars as well as the bars 36 are provided with ears 38, which are likewise provided with openings for the curtains at the frontv and rear are provided with elongated flaps or extensions d5, which are designed to be secured to the windshield and to the top. These extensions are not provided with any stiffening ribs as they are of such a shape as would render the folding up difficult were stiffening rods present, but they may be provided with openings in which transparent material is secured. The cover l6 is normally held in closed position by means of a spring 46. Formed integral with the door is a housing 47 in which is located a coil spring 48, which exerts a pressure against a plug 49. This' plug extends through the wall J) of the door and bears against the edge 50 of the body of the automobile, The edge 50 is adjacent the hinges 51. The purpose of this is to push the door open when the handle 52 is turned, thus making it unnecessary to either jerk the doors from the outside or bump them with the knee from the inside when it is desired to open the same.

The doors in my device are preferably cast of aluminum, or other light material as I am thereby enabled to obtain more storage space for the curtains, since the curtains which are hingedly connected to the doors as well as all of the intermediate curtains, are designed to be placed within the door. In this-way, it is possible to use glass in the side curtains and store the curtains away when not in use without danger of breaking the same. Furthermore, itcis not necessary to have pockets under the top to receive the curtains, nor is it necessary to store them under the seats. Another advantage is, that the curtains can be quickly put up in either warm or cold weather, and

there is no danger of breaking the transparent parts, either by rolling them up tight,

said frames in extended position,fla textile coveringsecured to each frame, anda free depending flap formed integral with ths lower edge of each textile covering said flap extending below the section which carries it, in combination with an automobile having doors which have their inside and top faces hingedly mounted so as to form a storage place for said closures when not in use.

2. A. side closure for automobiles comprising a pair of rigid frames having their side members hingedly secured together so as to form an upper and a lower section, pins adapted to be inserted through the hinges for holding said sections in extended posi tion, a textile covering having a transparency located therein secured to each frame, and a free depending flap secured'to each of said coverings along its lower edge, said flaps adapted to close any openings between the upper and lower sections and between the lower section and the automobile body, whereby the entrance of air and moisture is prevented, in combination with an automobile having doors which have their inside and top faces hmgedlyxmounted so as to form a storage place for said closures when not in use.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JASPER BLACKBURN. 

